Somewhere in that garble of unfamiliar sounds, she knew, there would soon be a prayer for her and her Vietnamese family.

Sure enough, over the loud speaker came the small, staccato voice of her friend Lien Le Nguyen, announcing in Vietnamese: "That victims of violence and oppression will be set free from their suffering."

A few feet away on the same lawn at Lewis University in Romeoville, Lester Hochhalter hiked up his lederhosen and listened while Delfino Gonzales and his wife, Eva, originally from Mexico, prayed quietly in the shade nearby.

As members of the state's fastest-growing Catholic diocese, the diocese of Joliet, these parishioners represent just a few of the voices that make up the increasingly diverse Catholic community in Chicago's western and southwestern suburbs.

When it was carved out of surrounding communities 50 years ago, the Joliet diocese served a population of some 90,000 Catholics, mostly Irish, Polish and German families. Today, the Latino population alone totals 130,000 worshipers and constitutes the largest segment of the diocese's 535,000 Catholics.

Also in that total are rapidly growing communities of Vietnamese, Filipino and Korean families.

This evolution, from a Catholic community of predominantly European descent to one anchored by Latin- and Asian-American enclaves, has unfolded in step with the area's rapid residential and commercial development.

The diocese stretches from concrete to cornfields, across seven counties, including DuPage, Will and Kendall Counties, some of the fast-growing areas in the state.

This evolution was evident Sunday, as an estimated 2,000 worshipers from 127 parishes and missions in the Joliet diocese met on the university's sprawling lawn to celebrate the diocese's 50th anniversary.

"Everything is completely different now," said Billie Limacher, 78, a member in the diocese since it was founded. "You're seeing its history here today."

Languages and cultures mingled in the humid air as parishioners spread themselves out over the lawn to hear a mass delivered by Bishop Joseph Imesch.

Continuing until 7 p.m., the stage program reflected the diversity of the audience, veering from the Mexican Strollers to the Sullivan Irish Dancers and finally to the Croatian Kolo Dancers.

For many in the crowd, having the chance to celebrate their Catholicism with accents of their own cultures was an apt reflection of the Church's efforts to understand its changing community.

"It's so important," said Ta, who along with Nguyen and 600 other Vietnamese families, makes up Queenship of Mary Catholic Church in Glen Ellyn. "It's a place for us to be able to retain our culture. And we need that."

Like many others in their parish, Ta and Lien used to attend services at a more diverse church in Glendale Heights. Then, six years ago, the diocese helped them secure a small church nearby to convene their own services.

It was a much-welcomed move.

"We are from the same village in Vietnam," said Ly Quyem, 35, now of Glen Ellyn, pointing to his friend, Phuong Tran. "Now we can stick together at this church."

Efforts like these to adjust the church community according to demographics is one of the ways that the Catholic Church is trying to reach out to its members, even as many churches nationwide see membership declining, said Sister Judith Davies, chancellor of the diocese.

For 62-year-old Serafin Ilagan, who emigrated from the Philippines 40 years ago, these outreach efforts have very practical benefits. Three years ago, he said, his parish in Oakbrook Terrace, the Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church, began holding services for Simbang Gabi, a nine-day Filipino celebration around Christmas.

Filipinos only constitute about 15 percent of his parish, Ilagan said, but the church has clearly tried to respond to their interests.

"I think it means a lot to people," he added.

That is exactly what Imesch is hoping his members will say.

"Collaboration empowers people," Imesch explained, standing in the shade, away from the noise of the stage. "And I think that means having a good sensitivity to the needs of others."

With that, he turned to talk to a handful of churchgoers seated in a tent nearby--in German.